NASA considers using asteroid as a space station

Updated 5:32 pm, Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Scientists developed a report last year exploring how identifying, capturing and exploring a near-Earth asteroid could help jump-start Mars and deep space missions in the future.

And now, the science blog i09 reports that the White House's Office of Science and Technology is considering the proposal from the Keck Institute for Space Studies and other groups, including NASA. The plan would cost $2.6 billion to build a robotic spacecraft that would transport a 500-ton asteroid to the lunar orbit by 2025.

The researchers describe the idea as "mankind's first attempt at modifying the heavens to enable the permanent settlement of human space."

The report basically investigates the possibility of returning an asteroid that is near Earth and exploring the ways the natural resources can be used. The report, released in April 2012, states that exploiting the resources of asteroids dates back more than 100 years, but only now is technology available to make the idea a reality.

In theory, a space probe would capture the asteroid near Earth and transport it to lunar orbit, a process that could take up to 10 years, the report states.

The report suggests this would offer prove an affordable path to providing operational experience to help with preparing for missions to deep space. If astronauts can work in and around the asteroids, they will be able to extract resources like water or other materials, help shift against galactic cosmic rays and the water could be used to transport rocky habitat, i09 reports.